Page 52 of Six Wishes

CHAPTER24

We were like that

Chloe

“I messed up.”

My eyes go to my mother who is sitting on the couch next to me. I am still wearing the dress I put on earlier today when I left Van’s house for our sort of date to Alison and Wyatt’s wedding.

“Okay, tell me everything again, from the top.”

Mom has always been following the logical thinking rule. My father has always been the opposite. I think that’s what drove her crazy about him. She could not stand the fact that he just jumped in with both feet when it came to everything. And it looks like I am more like him than I had realized. Judge first, analyze later.

“I don’t know,” I sigh with teary eyes. “Everyone was looking on their phones at something, then it turned out they were looking at pictures of Van having sex with some other woman,” I try to explain it in the best way that I can. “The pictures had last week’s date. I freaked out and thought that he’d cheated on me. Then Macy and Damian gave me a ride home. She pointed out that the pictures had been photoshopped. Then I recognized the face of this woman who’s been popping up in places where Van is. And I realized that was my body her face was on. And now, here I am.” I dart my arms out like that would explain everything in general.

“Oh baby,” Mom moves closer to me on the couch and grabs me in a hug. “I’m sure Van will understand why you got upset. It could’ve happened to anyone.”

“I tried calling him,” I shrug, “Before I came in the house. He didn’t answer.” I finish with a loud blow of my nose in the couple of tissues Mom thrust in my hands earlier.

“He will, baby,” Mom rocks me back and forth like I am a small child even though I do tower over her. I got my height from my dad. “He just needs a bit of time to process everything.”

“It just scared me,” I continue talking like she never said a word. “I’ve been telling myself that we are moving too fast. That there’s no way Van is the great guy he seems to be. I’ve just been waiting for him to fail.”

Mom hums in my ear as she continues to rock me and run her hand up and down my back.

“Your father and I were like that in the beginning.”

I am completely taken aback by this new to me information. “You were?”

“Of course. We’ve both always had very passionate personalities, you know that…” she starts, and I want to cover my ears.

“God, Mom, please don’t say whatever I think you’re going to say!”

“Not like that,” she starts laughing. “Although, that part was not too shabby either.” She is cracking up now, and I smile even though I don’t really want to think about any of it.

“How did you work it out?”

“Well, it wasn’t easy. But we were in love. We wanted to be together.” Mom then gets a wistful look on her face. “We wanted to have a baby together…”

I turn sideways to look at her better. “What went wrong, Mom? With you and Dad, I mean?”

“I…” she hesitates, seeming unsure of how she wants to go about telling me about the sad reason she and my dad ended up divorced. They always seemed to be so in love. I am still in shock they’re divorced, and it’s been five years. “It was my fault,” she finally admits, shame coating her voice.

“I don’t believe that for a second, Mom,” I squeeze her hand. “There are always two parties in a situation like yours.”

“True,” she agrees with me. “But I cut off all channels of communication with him. I gave him no chance.”

“Why?” And I am genuinely curious about it. No judgment from me.

“I was depressed,” Mom shrugs like it’s no big deal. “My body was going through changes that I didn’t know how to handle. Menopause messed with my head in a terrible way.” I hate the sadness and tears I see on her face when she says that. “By the time I was able to talk to my doctor about it and ask for help, the divorce papers had been signed. Ironically,” she chuckles, “I think that’s what pushed me to ask for help. I owe Jim that.”

“He misses you too, you know?” I have been wanting to tell Mom this for a long time now. Every time I go to see Dad, or we are together at one of his brother’s famous backyard barbeques, he always seems so sad that Mom is not there with him.

“He does?” I have never heard Mary Montgomery sounding as surprised as she does right now.

“Yeah,” my eyes fill with water when I see the tiniest light of hope shining through on her face.

After a few moments where we just stare at each other, me thinking about my situation with Van, and her no doubt thinking about Dad, I throw myself back.

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